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Here are the responses that I received for fun end-of-year activities in an elementary school. Thanks to those of you who responded! **************************************************** I had a ball when I was in an elementary building! I built a fake "campfire" in the middle of the library on the floor, with real sticks and logs and crepe paper fire. I set up a little tent, closed all the blinds in the library, and brought in a flashlight. Then we sat in a circle around the fire, and I told and read ghost stories. It was so fun! I originally planned to do it with just a couple of classes, but it was so much fun I ended up doing it with K-5. My goal was to send them off with stories they would then retell their families over the summer. ******************************************************* Last year I played "Reference Jeopadry" with my fifth graders, and I used both reference questions and fun questions - like "Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?" They enjoyed it alot. ******************************************************** Most years, I've tried to have a buy one, get one free book fair at the very end of school. ******************************************************** We read a set list of stories to our elementary classes, and from each list we have created alphabet cards, displaying something from many of the books. For instance, our A card has Alexander, from Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible. . .Day, our C card has a picture of Corderoy Bear, while our M card has a picture of Mudge, from the Henry and Mudge books. Then we challenge the kids to fill in an alphabet list, naming as many of the characters from the books that they can remember. We have a different set for each grade level to correspond with the books we read for each grade. The kids usually have a great time with it, and it makes a great review for books read over the course of the year. ********************************************************* I have had Christmas parties. Sounds strange, but I don't get a chance to do it in December. Pick a holiday, or all of them and let each class do "posters" for you. Laminate them and then you have them for the right time of the year. This is also a good time to have students make posters "selling" their favorite book. ********************************************************* With my 3rd graders, I usually have them make a "Bingo" card using MEDIA for the heading instead of Bingo. They each have a blank card with the usual 24 empty boxes and together we try to come up with 24 library terms we have learned, like author, publisher, etc. When someone suggests a word, I spell it aloud and we each write it in a different square on the paper (I fill a card out too so I can cut it up and "draw" from those words as we play the game.) The following week we use the cards to play Media. I put the M-E-D-I-A that I cut off the top of the paper in one pile, and the words we have used in another pile and draw one slip from each pile as we play (ex: E - Author) *********************************************************** There are a couple things I've done for an end of the year activity that is gamelike. One of them is doing a "scavenger hunt" with questions whose answers can be found in a variety of books throughout the library. You can select a winner by whoever finishes first and has the most correct - something like that. The other is what I call "Springtime" research. They can use atlases, almanacs, encyclopedias, fiction, and non-fiction books to find facts that start with the letters from Springtime. They wind up with 5 topics per letter and they have to list 5 facts about the topic. For example if they use the first s for springfield, il - they write 5 facts about that place (and the book and page #), then go to another source and choose a topic, write 5 facts about that etc. There will be a total of 50 answers. *************************************************************** For the last full week, I have a parent volunteer who does the chess club and is going to teach chess to everyone in grade 3-5 in their regular 50-minute library classes. I have given him a hard time about how few girls are in chess club which meets after school in the library. Also, earlier in the year, with the help of parent-volunteers as dealer/referees we taught grades 3-5 the card game SET (setgame.com) There are overhead transparencies to teach the game on their website, and the game can be played well with groups of 6 kids per dealer. I and the teachers were also dealers. *************************************************************** I spread out a beach towel, beach toys, shells etc and then I have on sandals, sunglasses and big sun hat while I sit on the towel and read a vacation story. I think last year I brought enough towels for everyone to sit on. Please post a hit if you can. ***************************************************************** This is something I am going to try with 5th grade. I saw Robert Sabuda and was impressed. so I think on the last day of library, i will share his web site and have downloaded and copied one of his activities and have the children try it. ******************************************************** I play a trivia game with questions about characters from books. ******************************************************* With third grade I play a game of Title bingo that I made. We play until everyone wins a book. (from donations or discards). With 4th and 5th grade I have made up a Jeopardy game with questions that cover the year's lessons. I use posterboard and cards and pockets to make the game board. I usually play boys against girls (easy team making). We add for correct answers. No substracting - except for impolite behavior. ********************************************** Darcy Maxwell, LMC Director Emerson Elementary La Crosse, WI 54601 dmaxwell@sdlax.k12.wi.us ********************************************** -------------------------------------------------------------------- All LM_NET postings are protected by copyright law. To change your LM_NET status, e-mail to: listserv@listserv.syr.edu In the message write EITHER: 1) SIGNOFF LM_NET 2) SET LM_NET NOMAIL 3) SET LM_NET MAIL 4) SET LM_NET DIGEST * Allow for confirmation. LM_NET Help & Information: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/ Archive: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/archive/ EL-Announce with LM_NET Select: http://elann.biglist.com/el-announce/ LM_NET Supporters: http://www.eduref.org/lm_net/ven.html --------------------------------------------------------------------